Giving Us A Break

Canadians have no wish to go to the polls. We would vastly prefer not to. Right now. Or anytime soon, for that matter. This is a well-known fact. It has been delivered loud and clear through poll after poll where voters are encouraged to state their opinion on the subject. Very few have jumped for joy at the prospect of hauling themselves out to the voting booths again.

The leaders of Canada's political parties are very well aware of this fact.

The purpose of political parties is to make every conceivable effort to persuade the voting public that their party, and theirs alone, is singularly capable of administering the affairs of the country. If they happen not to be the dominant governing party at any given time they will spare no effort to degrade the governing abilities of the reigning party, and to pick apart their decision-making, and to offer themselves as the only reasonable alternative.

At one time in the history of Canadian politics all of this took place through reasonable debate and to a muted degree, mutual respect. Those are civil ingredients no longer much in evidence in the political parties of today. Nor does there appear to be much willingness on the part of the parties; the governing party and its opposition, to co-operate for the higher purpose of doing justice to their combined potential in representing the public weal.

The Conservative-led government is prepared to bring down their latest budget. While the country is beginning to recover from the deleterious effects of the global financial downturn. It is fairly well agreed by a good proportion of the electorate that the Conservative-led government has performed very well in steering Canada into the current balancing act. Our recovery remains in a somewhat frail state, edging toward robust hopefulness.

But we do have a very substantial deficit and we most definitely own far too onerous a debt. Which has led the Government of Canada to conclude that some measure of belt-tightening in government spending itself must now proceed until such time as the deficit has been conquered.

The Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois have let it be known they have no intention of supporting the government's soon-t0-be-released budget. But the New Democratic Party could be persuaded to do so.

This is a scenario that has played itself out many times before. Usually it is the NDP supporting a Liberal-led government. But accommodation has been made between the NDP and the Conservatives also. And Jack Layton doesn't feel obscurity is compatible with his vision for himself or his party.

He has therefore offered to side with the Conservatives should they in their electoral wisdom deem it feasible and needful to agree with his very specific and costly proposals to remove federal tax from home heating bills, restore the home-retrofit program; improve GIS for seniors, substantially increase the numbers of doctors and nurses in the country.

All cost-intensive, which appears to run counter to the government's intentions bordering on a bit of austerity. Although the Conservatives haven't shirked from spending to pull the country out of recession, now that the pulling has succeeded, the spending should too. But not if the NDP has anything to say about it. Besides, all of its suggestions are good ones, giving us all a break.

The Conservatives must be hugging themselves with glee. They're up in the polls, flirting with the edge of a potential majority. Having an election foisted on their unwilling heads, with an irate public hauling out to the polls is guaranteed not to boost NDP fortunes, and may just elevate the Conservatives.